Customer Reviews

The Verse of the Sword

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4 star:		(1)
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I've been an avid reader ever since I was old enough to pick up a book, and this is one of the best novels I've EVER read. I just want to tell everyone how great it is and how it takes you from laughing to crying and to places all over the world and how you know the people and their way of life like you were there with them. I mean it literally had me crying real tears, and at other times I was laughing out loud. My husband was saying, "What is wrong with you?" After I re-read this book, I'll let him read it and he can find out for himself.

I won't spoil it by saying what the surprising twists and events were, but I will say that even when I was surprised by something one of the characters did, I never felt that I'd been tricked. It was always, "Of course! That's exactly what he/she would do in this situation." These are not lives governed by fickle winds of fate. These people decide how their own lives need to be changed, and then they live with the consequences of their decisions. Or maybe their non-decision. We, the reader, see trouble brewing before those on the scene do. And when everything hits the fan, we're on that wild roller-coaster right with them. I truly cared about Harry and Latifa and Mark, Abdelqader, and all of them, as though they were my own family and friends. And the villains--who don't see themselves at all as bad guys--well, they made my blood chill.

You go from the hills of West Virginia to France and Spain and (mainly) North Africa. If you've ever taken a vacation in Morocco and wished you had longer to know the life there better than you know it from tourist hotels, or if you've ever just wondered about the Arab world and about everyday life for normal Muslims, The Verse of the Sword will take care of that. I finished the book feeling like I'd lived there for years.

Mainly though in my opinion this is a love story. As for most of us, Harry's lovelife has had its ups and downs. We know he deserves better, but we all know not everybody gets what they deserve. And anybody who reads this and doesn't fall in love with Latifa--well, I just don't know how that's possible.

This is R J Huddy's first novel, and I for one hope it's the first of many.

The Verse of the Sword is one of those books that stays with you. Although you are satisfied when you finish it, you long for more because you have come to care about the characters. You don't want your relationship with them to end.

If you love great writing, then read it just for the beautiful language and the way the book was constructed. If you love a good story, you get that, too. If you love to travel, you'll love the various settings and you'll learn something about other countries and cultures, but it won't feel like a lesson.

An excellent read, I totally enjoyed this novel. The range of topics, locations and characters blend perfectly to create a novel that takes the reader through a range of emotions and challenges the brain as well. I came to care for the characters and really wanted to find out how their stories ended. The story is full of twists and turns and surprises yet the end brings together every strand perfectly. The writing is eloquent and gorgeous and the relationships are portrayed with a vividness that is quite beautiful. It was an immensely enjoyable read, thank you RJ!

As an avid reader, I thoroughly enjoyed Huddy's novel! I found myself reading into the "wee hours" because I couldn't wait to see what would transpire next! I was so completely absorbed in Harrison's adventures and misadventures, and the descriptions of a culture that was largely unfamiliar to me, that I would lose track of time. I found myself getting angry with the way Harrison was treated, both at "home" and abroad. Latifah was so kind and unassuming, yet so strong!

This book was so many things: enlightening, entertaining,& educational, just to mention a few. As a life long resident of the Appalachian region, I can honestly say Mr. Huddy captured the essence of our culture, and at the same time educated me in the ways of another culture in a most entertaining way! I look forward to his next book!

Susan Burton

For a first time author, R.J. Huddy really hit this it out of the park with his debut novel, "The Verse of the Sword". The reader is lead on a journey right along side Mr. Huddy's protaginist, Harrison Bacon. Mr. Bacon is not a perfict person, but his faults make this character seem more human. I think anyone who reads this will be able to think of people they know who are similar to Harrison Bacon (During the reading I kept thinking about this Uncle I have).

The author's writing style is fun and witty, and he keeps the reader turning pages to find out not only what happens next, but how Mr. Huddy is going to tell us about it. The descriptions of Kentucky, Morocco and Algiers make you feel as though you are there yourself.

I wish I could say that this novel fits nicely into a single genera, but it doesn't. Mr. Huddy crosses traditional non-fiction, with wonderful travel writing and even some romance. This is a book which brings up deeper topics of social class, disability and religion.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good laugh, wonderful writing or a great story.

I really enjoyed RJ Huddy's first novel on several levels. On one hand, this is good travel writing. Algeria and Morocco are a part of the world I have never experienced first-hand. Nor have I even read a lot about these neighbors. Huddy presents a strong sense of place, describing the physical and, more importantly, capturing the culture and the people. I come away with a good idea of what it would be like to be an American plopped down in a remote North African desert village. Huddy's characters are valid and his dialogue realistic. For my money's worth, few things slow down a story more than awkward dialogue but that is no problem here. Conversation has a true ring and moves the action right along. A couple of times I was initially struck that a conversation was extending too long. But then I realized the subject matter was compelling enough to stick with it. Analyzing and dissecting the fundamental differences between Western culture and Islam is an exercise that would behoove any American. Huddy, obviously having lived on both sides of the chasm, embraces the debate at the heart of his story. And he manages to both enlighten and entertain us at once. The ending was a nice twist. I had reached a point in the late-going that any of several potential resolutions would have seemed acceptable, which I consider a compliment to the author. But Huddy chose well. I'll be looking for his next work.

The book takes me back to my childhood days where I grew up in Kentucky, the hills of appalachian, near the West Virginia border. I can relate to the down home people there and their living in the coal fields. It is very easy to get caught up with the characters in the book as they go from joy and happiness to hard times. You find yourself on a roll a coaster ride with each chapter. I highly recommend the book and love the style of writing by the author, Mr. Huddy.

Cuz

Huddy asks humbly that we act humanely toward one another and understand and respect others beliefs and values. Not very often a novel comes along that crowds out other non-important everyday things. A book you never want to put down. Long after you read the last page you wish is to go on and on. An unforgettable novel that makes us care deeply for the characters. I loved this brand new novel. Powerful... Verse of the Sword positively resonates with authenticity.

Have you read B. J. Huddy's Verse of the Sword yet? If not, you're missing the pleasure of getting to know some memorable characters and accompanying them through challenging and intense predicaments. Verse of the Sword is a story of love, imagined and real; a story of personal and family conflict, internal and external; and a tale of adventure that spans continents and cultures. I read it a few months back and then shared it with members of my office book club. Now, as they are making their way through Huddy's novel, the talk around the water cooler lately is often about Verse of the Sword. First off, we all agreed that the reflective background interludes interspersed throughout the book enhance the main story, serving to construct a sort of parallel narrative that complements the primary events being recounted. The narrative approach, the elements of the storyline, and the author's refusal to transgress certain lines of narrative excess make it difficult to pigeonhole Huddy's novel. Verse of the Sword has plenty of adventure, but is not a purely adventure novel. It has useful suspense, but is not a thriller in the strict sense. It is an insistent story of love, but it is not a sentimental tale in which the lovers by convention live happily ever after. Or do they?

As I mentioned, Huddy's novel has its share of memorable characters. Indeed, character development may be the strong suit of Huddy's novel. Harrison Bacon, the main character, is a man on a quest to find love and to stake out his place in the world. In the process he gets caught up in political events and family intrigues that could destroy him and those he loves. He's neither a hero nor an anti-hero, but rather an unhero, an individual with an earnest and eager appetite to know himself and to relate to others in an authentic way. Thanks to Huddy's skill as a writer, we readily become emotionally attached to his characters. We participate in their exploits, fear for their safety, experience joy at their triumphs, and are made happy or sad by their fates.

Spoiler alert: I won't discuss the plot--not wanting to reveal the twist that brings the novel full circle. So, you will just have to read Verse of the Sword for yourself to discover what that is, but it will be an enjoyable, and dare I say educational, voyage of discovery, that I can assure you.

The story is immediately compelling as Harrison Bacon awakens in hospital after a serious boating accident. The indignities he endures, as described by the Author, are both moving and humorous and his fight for recovery is battle of courage and determination. An emotional love affair assists in his recuperation, but ultimately his offer of a position in North Africa is the beginning of an unexpected adventure which involves Harrison Bacon in a political and regligious war such as he never expected. I was engrossed in his travels all the way, and was anxious when he tried to evade capture. All in all this is a really good adventurous, romantic, funny and exciting book and I believe it should be a Best Seller. Signed June Worrall.